Federal game and wildlife

Just a few of the obligations of the OLE include:. Federal wildlife law enforcement officers are referred to as special agents, although they are informally often referred to as fish and game wardens. Fish and game wardens, within the U. Fish and Wildlife Service Office of Law Enforcement, are criminal investigators who are called upon to enforce federal wildlife laws within the United States.

Fish and game warden jobs may involve investigating crimes that range from international wildlife smuggling to illegal game bird hunting. Their job duties include collecting evidence, interviewing witnesses, conducting surveillance, organizing raids, making arrests, and preparing evidence for court.

They also often work undercover to infiltrate illegal wildlife trafficking rings. Fish and game wardens may work anywhere in the United States, from small, rural duty stations to large, multi-agency offices in major cities, such as Los Angeles and New York City.

It is common for fish and game wardens to work with state, tribal or foreign law enforcement agencies, and common federal partnerships include work with the U. Just special agents work for the U. Often, as with the Southeast Idaho National Wildlife Refuge Complex, a number of small refuges are combined into a single management complex for administrative purposes, and a team of officers may collectively patrol several nearby FWS properties.

This is not universally the case, however. Covering such large refuges involves a lot of time in the air and on vessels ranging from foot skiffs to foot ocean-going ships.

Officers may also patrol on snowmobiles, on horseback, in trucks, or on foot. And Wildlife Officers are often juggled through the system to put their limited numbers where they are most needed. In fact, half of all refuge acres are found in the state of Alaska, making it a common duty station. Unlike state game wardens, federal officers are not necessarily empowered to enforce state laws.

Only about half of all U. Further complicating matters is the Assimilative Crimes Act ACA , which allows the incorporation and enforcement of certain state laws for crimes committed on federal lands. This lack of status can affect not only powers of arrest but also certain legal protections police often have.

So, among other adjustments necessary when being transferred either permanently or temporarily outside their normal posting, wildlife officers have to be aware of their scope of powers as they shift between different state and federal jurisdictions. Some officers may receive qualifications as divers, to patrol underwater parts of refuges. Others serve a dual role, working as both biologists and law enforcement officers. And many serve on interagency incident command teams, providing direct response and logistical support when wildfires break out around the U.

The federal Office of Personnel Management handles the hiring process for wildlife officers. Applications can be filed online at usajobs. In practice, however, most successful applicants have considerably better education and more years under their belt. Many Wildlife Officers have years of experience working as wardens for other agencies before they even apply with the federal service.

Additional locality pay can contribute significantly to these base figures, with officers working in parts of the country with a higher cost of living making considerably more. For 11 years before that he worked at the International Boundary and Water Commission. All the road work, repairs to water catchments and drinkers, erosion control, etc. All of that makes me feel really good. A lot of the time you have to come up with a solution on your own.

Second would be confidence in your ability to handle any situation when working with heavy equipment or in general maintenance. Third would be willingness to work with others as a team. Because I don't mind being by myself, and I am a huge fan of wild game meat. Information Technology Specialist. Darika Cease has supervised the information resources and technology management service desk at U. She has been with the agency since We definitely have some outgoing and hilarious people working for us, and their stories bring me so much joy.

Anything that could go wrong or right in IT just may. Keeps you on your toes. The most rewarding part is knowing that I keep hard-working people in the field working. The mission cannot be achieved without the behind-the-scenes contributions of IT. There's this crunch time to figure out how they work, what they do, etc.

You also have to be willing and able to adapt at any moment to change. I think I have some of the primal instincts and confidence of a tiger. I'm also super passionate and full of energy. These traits help me to evolve to the ever-changing environment of IT. Details about experience and education requirements.

Wildlife Biologist. Previously, she was a wildlife biologist at other New England refuges. She has been with the U.